Burslem

Support victimised postal workers

The national march and rally organised by the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) in Stoke on Saturday 19 January gives postal workers and supporters an opportunity to show their solidarity with victimised Burslem postal workers. These workers have been suspended since September on trumped-up charges of harassment.

Andy Bentley Stoke Socialist Party

The rally will reflect the massive support which exists for the four week-long strike of these workers and provides a launchpad to widen this action, which has clearly become necessary to defend postal workers at Burslem and beyond.

• National march and rally in support of the striking Burslem workers. Saturday 19 January. Assemble outside Burslem delivery office in Scotia Business Park at 1.30pm. Speakers include Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary.

The victimisation in Burslem is not because of a few bad managers but is part of a wider strategy to force postal workers into submission. Postal workers in Bristol, South London, Oxford, South West London and elsewhere have already been sacked and suspended and like Burslem, include elected Communication Workers' Union (CWU) reps.

This is an attack on all postal workers and on the right of the CWU to represent its members. This act of provocation must be met with a similar response by the CWU nationally. The national leadership of the CWU needs to fight these attacks with the same determination shown by Burslem postal workers.

There should be no more negotiation on "modernisation" and "flexibility" or acceptance of imposed changes by the CWU nationally, regionally or locally whilst postal workers are being victimised at the whim of Royal Mail bosses.

The decision to ballot 1,500 workers at 20 depots in the Midland No.7 branch area for strike action is a step forward.

The stated aim of regional organiser, Lee Barron, to include the wider Midland area if necessary should also now be put into effect.

But given the widespread scale of victimisation and bullying now taking place and the need to defend the CWU, this is increasingly becoming a battle for the union nationally.

The CWU should fight for the re-instatement of all victimised workers. Wider national action of postal workers may be necessary to defend victimised workers.

Whatever fabricated accusations are made against postal workers we all know that their real 'crime' is that they have fought against the privatisation plans of Royal Mail, dictated by Brown's New Labour government.

The CWU should stop handing over members' money to New Labour. The CWU paid £735,000 to the Labour Party between 2002 and 2005 and has handed over another half a million pounds since summer 2006.

But this has done nothing to stop the constant attacks on postal workers' jobs, pay and conditions and the service they provide. This is like paying bailiffs to ransack your house!

The time has now come for CWU members and other trade unionists to say enough is enough.

We should stop funding Labour and instead use the funds to build a new party to represent trade union members and ordinary working-class people.